New Report: “Minnesota’s Groundwater: Is our use sustainable?”

Recent media coverage has highlighted a troubling trend in Minnesota: groundwater depletion. From White Bear Lake to Willmar, the state is now home to numerous groundwater areas of concern.

Our friends at The Freshwater Society recently released a new report entitled Minnesotas Groundwater: Is our use sustainable? The report, published in April, looks at groundwater use and long-term sustainability in Minnesota. It serves as a powerful reminder that – even in the Land of 10,000 Lakes – our waters are limited resources.

This report is well written, easy to understand, and is essential reading for anyone concerned about the sustainability of Minnesotas water resources. As demand for water grows, conservation and protection of our groundwater resources is essential to the future of our communities.

Among the conclusions in the report:

1. From 1988 to 2011, pumping by Minnesota's largest groundwater users — municipal systems and agricultural irrigators, for the most part — grew by 31%. Minnesotans must practice water conservation to protect these increasingly scarce resources.
2. 1988 through 2011, agricultural irrigation pumping increased more than twice as fast, rising 73%.
3. State agencies must improve groundwater management. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) should establish groundwater management areas in parts of the state where groundwater is scarce, and enforce the law requiring permits for water appropriations, rather than let large well operators get an unfair advantage over their business competitors by flouting the law.
4. State incentives for water conservation are an important tool for achieving sustainable groundwater solutions, and discourage wasteful water use. Its time for stronger state leadership on groundwater issues.

Freshwater Society President (and former MN DNR Commissioner) Gene Merriams thoughts on groundwater conservation policy were recently published by the Pioneer Press.

Special thanks to the Freshwater Society team for putting this report together. This is a tremendous accomplishment and a wonderful contribution to our shared understanding of the sustainability of our states waters.

For more information on the report, visit freshwater.org or download the report directly.